Main Denver airport bans sale of marijuana-themed souvenirs

Kristen Wyatt, Associated Press

January 28, 2015

Photo: Brennan Linsley, STF

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In this Jan. 27, 2015 photo, former school teacher and current souvenir entrepreneur Ann Jordan displays a few of her products, socks and flip-flops decorated with marijuana-themes, as she drops off supplies to one of her sellers, the Red Carpet Car Wash and Detailing, in Aurora, Colo. Marijuana is legal in Colorado, but not at its largest airport - and now Denver International Airport wants to keep out weed-themed souvenirs, too. A policy enacted this month bans the sale of souvenirs depicting marijuana leaves or Colorado's ubiquitous "Mile High" pot puns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) less

In this Jan. 27, 2015 photo, former school teacher and current souvenir entrepreneur Ann Jordan displays a few of her products, socks and flip-flops decorated with marijuana-themes, as she drops off supplies to ... more

Photo: Brennan Linsley, STF

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In this Jan. 27, 2015 photo, marijuana-themed souvenir socks sold by entrepreneur Ann Jordan are stocked alongside various items by Arnie Slaughter, the owner of the Red Carpet Car Wash and Detailing, in Aurora, Colo. Marijuana is legal in Colorado, but not at its largest airport - and now Denver International Airport wants to keep out weed-themed souvenirs, too. A policy enacted this month bans the sale of souvenirs depicting marijuana leaves or Colorado's ubiquitous "Mile High" pot puns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) less

In this Jan. 27, 2015 photo, marijuana-themed souvenir socks sold by entrepreneur Ann Jordan are stocked alongside various items by Arnie Slaughter, the owner of the Red Carpet Car Wash and Detailing, in ... more

Photo: Brennan Linsley, STF

Image 3 of 3

In this Jan. 27, 2015 photo, marijuana-themed flip-flops and boxer shorts sold by souvenir entrepreneur Ann Jordan, in Aurora, Colo. Marijuana is legal in Colorado, but not at its largest airport - and now Denver International Airport wants to keep out weed-themed souvenirs, too. A policy enacted this month bans the sale of souvenirs depicting marijuana leaves or Colorado's ubiquitous "Mile High" pot puns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) less

In this Jan. 27, 2015 photo, marijuana-themed flip-flops and boxer shorts sold by souvenir entrepreneur Ann Jordan, in Aurora, Colo. Marijuana is legal in Colorado, but not at its largest airport - and now ... more

Photo: Brennan Linsley, STF

Main Denver airport bans sale of marijuana-themed souvenirs

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DENVER - Tourists who fly to Colorado, home of legal pot, can forget about buying souvenir boxer shorts, socks or sandals with a marijuana leaf on them when passing through the Denver airport.

The airport has banned pot-themed souvenirs, fearing the kitsch could taint the state's image.

Marijuana possession and any pot-related advertising were already forbidden. Airport executives extended the ban this month after a retailer sought a free-standing kiosk to sell the boxer shorts and similar items that played off Colorado's place as the first state to allow recreational marijuana sales.

Airport officials feared the souvenirs would send the wrong message.

"We don't want marijuana to be the first thing our visitors experience when they arrive," airport spokesman Heath Montgomery said.

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The spurned retailer is mulling a lawsuit, noting that the souvenirs are legal and that the airport already has a large exhibit celebrating craft brewers, whose product, like marijuana, is legal only for people 21 and older.

"Why is everybody so riled up about the picture of a plant?" asked Ann Jordan, owner of High-ly Legal Colorado, which makes the shorts, socks and "pot flop" sandals that are already sold in area stores.

But it's unlikely that Jordan would have a strong claim. Airports have broad discretion to control concession operators, and they can limit free-speech activities.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that airport terminals are not public forums, siding with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey against a religious group that wanted to solicit donations.

Denver International has given no possession citations since legalization, Montgomery said.

Marijuana-free jets

Last year, 29 people were caught trying to board planes with marijuana. In each case, police declined to issue citations, and the passengers were allowed to board planes after throwing out the weed.

In Washington state, the only other state with recreational marijuana sales, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport does not ban pot possession or marijuana-themed souvenirs, Sea-Tac spokesman Perry Cooper said.

Montgomery said the Denver airport has a special obligation as the gateway for many thousands of visitors to the Rocky Mountain region.

"Frankly, there's a lot more to Colorado than pot," Montgomery said.

The airport policy bans depictions of the marijuana plant, items with the word "marijuana" and the sale of publications devoted expressly to pot. But airport officials concede they can't keep out the ubiquitous "Rocky Mountain High" puns and other slogans.